Examination of Stimulus Over-Selectivity in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder and Its Relationship to Stereotyped Behaviors and Cognitive Flexibility

Stimulus over-selectivity describes a phenomenon in which an individual responds only to a subset of the stimuli present in the environment and, thus, may restrict learning. This study aimed to develop understanding of the nature and role of over-selectivity in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by analyzing the relationship of over-selectivity to core deficits of ASD: stereotyped responding and inflexibility. Over-selectivity was investigated in a visual discrimination task in 24 children, 12 diagnosed with ASD and 12 mental-age-matched typically developing children. In addition, the participants’ levels of intellectual functioning, stereotypy, and cognitive flexibility were assessed using established tools. Results showed that over-selectivity was associated with IQ and stereotyped behavior but was not related to levels of cognitive flexibility nor did cognitive flexibility significantly correlate with stereotyped behavior in individuals with ASD. The current findings require consideration when designing behavioral interventions for individuals with ASD.